The Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia was opened in 1842 under the name of the Milledgeville State Hospital. The Powell building was the first building to be built on the campus, and has had mixed uses throughout the hospital’s lifetime, such as patient housing, medical care, and administration. In the early days, it was ruled that the hospital would be self-sustaining, with “healthier” patients paying for their care. At early points, more buildings were built, and patients were segregated by race in different buildings, until the hospital was desegregated at a later date. Over the course of many years, the facility continued to grow, treating a larger number of patients overtime with the intent of curing them, and being released back into society. The facility treated thousands of patients who were found to be mentally ill, and in the 1960’s, the hospital was at it’s peak with around 12,000 patients and 200 buildings. At a point, the complex was the largest mental hospital in the entire United States, next to the now-second largest, Pilgrim State Hospital in Brentwood, New York. After the campus had been expanded to around 1,750 acres, there were buildings such as a medical/ surgical hospital, several living quarters for patients, forensic ward, staff dorms, administration, and more. Towards the 1950’s, it was discovered that newly found drugs, and new operation methods were tested on patients without their, or their family’s permission, and many of the doctors were under the influence during the operations. This led Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver Jr. to investigate the issue. These issues within the walls of Milledgeville State Hospital were not solved, and this led to the construction of many other institutions around Georgia, and the Milledgeville State Hospital was downsized, and was renamed the Central State Hospital in 1968. The hospital’s farmland was then closed down, and the construction of other state-run organizations such as the Georgia Department of Corrections took over and built new facilities. The prison facility built was named the Rivers State Prison and consisted of multiple medium-security buildings for prisoners of Georgia. By the 1990’s, the Central State Hospital was on its last legs, losing patients due to newer updated facilities peaking, and with mental health activists fighting for the release of patients. Due to this, the vast majority of the buildings on the property were closed down, and been left abandoned. In 2008, the Rivers State Prison complex shut down, and was also then left abandoned. By 2010, there were only 30 patients remaining at the Central State Hospital, operating out of one, to two buildings. As of today, the entire campus aside from a couple smaller buildings are abandoned, and dilapidated, along with the Rivers State Prison complex. Preservationists are pushing for the preservation of many of the original buildings of the Central State Hospital, however dozens of buildings still sit abandoned, irking the curiosity of many.